Mar 29, 2024  
2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Architecture, B.ARCH


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Program Description

Kennesaw State University’s College of Architecture and Construction Management is the only public state institution in Georgia to offer an accreditied five-year professional degree: The Bachelor of Architecture. It offers unique educational opportunities for its students including: The Summer Design Workshop, the Focus Studio: a research-based studio with and invited studio critic, and an individually structured Thesis project. The Program also offers students organized travel opportunities within the U.S. and abroad.

The curriculum is divided into two components; the lower division and the upper division. The lower division constitutes the first two years of the program and its curriculum is designed to introduce basic skill sets, fundamentals of design and building technologies. The upper division constitutes the last three years of the program. Its curriculum is designed to enhance the students understanding of the relationship between people and the built environment, the role of technology, structures in comprehensive design, the importance of history and theory to design and introduce the broader challenges of urbanism and design research.

The mission of the Architecture Department is to expand and extend the University’s mission into the realm of Architecture, preparing students for professional practice in the design, planning, development and stewardship of the built environment. The Architecture Program fosters invention, creativity and craft through hands-on exploration that is the foundation of technological innovation. Moreover, knowledge of cultural diversity, communication, history and criticism is seen as inseparable from the application of such innovation. This holistic process is “the making of architecture.”

Admissions Requirements

Admission to the Architecture program is separate from admission to Kennesaw State University. Students must meet the program admission requirements, outlined below.

Students seeking entry to the lower division of the B.ARCH program as freshmen must first be accepted to KSU and in addition must have:

  • 2.5 GPA in 17 units of required high school course work
  • 1080 minimum total SAT score (25 minimum reading test score, 490 minimum math score) OR 21 minimum composite ACT score (18 minimum English sub-score, 18 minimum math sub-score) 

Students seeking entry as a change of major must have :

  • completed a full academic year of course work at KSU
  • maintained a minimum 2.5 institutional GPA 

Transfer students with course work from a NAAB accredited architecture program may submit a portfolio for advanced placement.

Select students may be admitted into the B.ARCH Accelerated Program. This program is a three semester track (Fall/Spring/Summer), that fulfills the requirements of the lower division Architecture core curriculum. Entry into this track is for change of major and transfer students with 36 or more university credits, who have completed a minimum of 6 required General Education Core Curriculum courses as specified in the B.ARCH course map, including the Math and Physics requirements. 

Degree Progression 

To progress into upper-division course work students must pass Portfolio Review. Requirements include: 

  • 2.5  minimum university adjusted GPA 
  • Meet all ARCH core course requirements of the lower division with a “C” or higher
  • 2.5 minimum ARCH course GPA 
  • Have completed all General Education Core Curriculum courses required in the program map with a grade of “C” or higher
  • Submit a portfolio of work for evaluation with a minimum score 2.5 or higher 

Graduation Requirements

Each student is expected to meet the Academic Policies Graduation Policies and Procedures  outlined in the Academic Policies section of the Catalog.

Accreditation

In the United States, most state registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. The Bachelor of Architecture program at KSU is a 5-year, NAAB accredited, first professional degree in architecture, leading to eligibility for licensure (Architectural Registration Exam). The National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), which is the sole agency authorized to accredit U.S. professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes three types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture, the Master of Architecture and the Doctor of Architecture. A program may be granted an 8-year or 2- year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards.

Doctor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degree programs may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree that, when earned sequentially, constitute an accredited professional education. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

The NAAB grants candidacy status to new programs that have developed viable plans for achieving initial accreditation. Candidacy status indicates that a program should be accredited within 6 years of achieving candidacy, if its plan is properly implemented. In order to meet the educational requirement set forth by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NAAB), an applicant for an NCARB Certificate must hold a professional degree in architecture from a program accredited by the NAAB; the degree must have been awarded not more than two years prior to initial accreditation. However, meeting the educational requirement for the NCARB Certificate may not be equivalent to meeting the education requirement for registration in a specific jurisdiction. Please contact NCARB for more information.

The Kennesaw State University, Department of Architecture has been accredited since 1995 and offers the following NAAB-accredited degree:

5- year B.ARCH (150 undergraduate credits)

The next accreditation visit for the B.ARCH program is 2023.

Program of Study

 

5 Year Professional Degree


General Education Core Curriculum (Areas A-E) (42 Credit Hours)


See listing of requirements.  

General Education Core Curriculum Requirements Specific to This Major


Science Majors must take MATH 1113 or higher in Area A2 and MATH 1190 or higher in Area D1. 

Science and Engineering Majors must take two four-hour laboratory sciences in Area D2. Students must choose from CHEM 1211/L, CHEM 1212/L, PHYS 1111/L*, PHYS 1112/L, PHYS 2211/L*, PHYS 2212/L, BIOL 1107/L, or BIOL 1108/L.                                                                                    

*Students cannot take both PHYS 1111/L and PHYS 2211/L nor PHYS 1112/L and PHYS 2212/L.

Studio Requirements (40 Credit Hours)


Electives (11 Credit Hours)


The electives pursued towards the BARCH degree should be at or above the 2000 level or equivalent. Transfer credits not meeting this threshold may be accepted upon review and approval. These criteria will also apply to courses that were completed towards a minor that is no longer pursued.

Program Total: 150 Credit Hours


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